Meet Me in the Meadow
by Kriskahn
Summary: Entry for the Pick a Pic Challenge. Info inside. Summary: Bella and Edward. Two people from two different worlds. What happens when Edward finally lets Bella in?


**Pick A Pic Challenge****  
****Title: Meet Me in the Meadow****  
****Penname: Kriskahn****  
****Banner: Entry #36 **

http: / / i398 .photobucket. com/albums/pp69/ms_ambrosia/pick_a_pic/banner2meadow .jpg

**Rating/ Disclaimer: PG-13 for a few curse words.****  
****Summary: Bella and Edward. Two people from two different worlds. What happens when Edward finally lets Bella in? **

**To see all the stories that are a part of this contest please visit: www .fanfiction-challenges. blogspot. com**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plot and my creative imagination. :)

**AN: **Big huge hugs to PrincessKris for being my lovely beta and to TwiFicPics and FanFiction Writing Challenges for co-hosting this awesome contest!

**Enjoy!**

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When I was a kid, I had always thought keeping secrets was so cool. I loved being in the know when no one else was. It made me feel… superior. I could keep a secret better than anyone I knew… still can, actually. It's a good trait to have. People come to you with their problems because they know that when they say 'don't tell anyone' that you won't tell anyone. I wish I'd had someone like that I could have confided in.

I have been keeping a secret of my own for almost a year now.

It all started back at the beginning of my junior year. I spent the summer with my mother, Renee, down in Arizona, so I had been MIA for about three and half months. When I showed up to school the first day after summer break, there was a new kid that I had yet to meet starting that day. I found out rather quickly that his name was Edward Cullen and that he and his parents had moved to town not long after I'd left for Arizona. Everyone told me that he was a trouble maker and that he was already hanging out with 'The Outcasts'.

However, I wasn't too concerned about what kind of person he was. He was hot. Plan and simple. No if, ands, or buts about it. He was tall, had crazy looking auburn hair, really green eyes, and his body was just… _really… really nice_. He looked a little scrawny, like he needed to eat a big, greasy meal, but he was still hot.

As the months passed, he filled out and built up some muscle… but there I go getting ahead of myself…

I met the new kid for the first time in the hall between classes that first day of senior year. I was minding my own business, standing at my locker, organizing things the way my OCD demands I do, when I looked up and saw Edward walking down the hall. He looked lost and then he looked right at me. He walked up to me, asked for directions to Mr. Varner's room, smiled, and headed in the direction I told him. I could've melted on the spot. He was so attractive and smelled so good. He wasn't a walking cologne bottle like the rest of the boys at school. His clothes weren't name brand, but the worn grey shirt and faded black jeans made him that much more attractive.

Okay, I'll shut up now about how hot he is and get on with the secret…

Apparently, I wasn't the only person that didn't know about the new guy. The female Nerds talked about him like he was their Messiah or something. He was the bad boy to all their nerdy fantasies. It was cute to listen to but kinda annoying in the 'he can only stars in my fantasies' kind of way. But I did get the story behind his move while they talked on and on. Rumor had it that Edward was indeed a bad seed back in Seattle and his parents had brought him here in hopes of trying to keep him out of trouble.

Unfortunately for Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, Forks had its own cliques. We had all the obvious ones: The Jocks, The Nerds, The Outcasts, and The Preps. Somehow, by some strange high school magic, I was part of The Preps. The Preps, as you can guess, did consist of all the pretty, rich kids in town, but the kids of the popular adults in town were also included. Since my dad was the Police Chief, I was a shoe in. I never considered myself popular by normal standards. I'm not overtly beautiful or some kind of all knowing fashion diva like some of my friends were, but I was known, and that was all it took. I was fortunate enough to get along with everyone though. Well, everyone but The Outcasts. And of course, that would be the group Edward hung out with.

And before you even start about how I was raised in a strict environment, so of course the bad boy would appeal to the side of me that wanted freedom and rebellion, let me just say shut the fuck up and stop judging. That was only partially true, okay? Yes, his leather jacket made me tingle, but he was also truly attractive. For example, if you saw… let's say… George Clooney and he was really an ER doctor, you'd still want to bone him even without all that money and fame, yes? Okay, that was what it was like with Edward. Yes, he had the bad boy thing going for him, but he was also honestly good looking.

And that was the first thing on my list of criteria that I looked for in a guy. Physical attraction. So… in Edward's case, that would be a check.

Don't think that just because I was 'popular' that I was stuck up or shallow. Being unbelievably hot isn't the only thing I look for in guy, alright? The second thing on my criteria list was intelligence. I didn't ever want to tell my boyfriend 'it's a good thing you're pretty'.

My attraction for Edward was solidified in Biology. When I got to class, Mr. Banner had us assigned seats. He had told us he didn't want us with our friends so that we'd actually pay attention to him instead of whispering with our partners. When he told me to sit with Edward, I saw it as a sign—or a mean, evil trick—from fate.

Edward smiled at me, but didn't say much beyond introducing himself. I knew he saw me as a goodie-two shoes or some uppity-preppy girl. I did dress the part on occasion. I'd never forget what I was wearing that day because I knew it had to look completely uncool in his eyes. I had on a navy and purple stripped sweater vest, a navy long sleeved shirt underneath, and a pair of skinny jeans with some navy slip-ons. My friend, Alice, had bought this outfit for me as a back to school gift. And I cursed her name at that point, repeatedly.

It wasn't until about two weeks into school that I realized Edward was actually a very smart guy. We were given an assignment to do in class and I was shocked that he got his half of the answers right. We ended up making an A on the assignment. I wanted to get to know him better. I was drawn to him. He was different than the rest of these insipid idiots. They were so small town. They didn't have any long term plans. Not that I knew if Edward had his life planned out or anything, but something told me he'd end up right where he wanted to be when it was all said and done.

The next day, I tried to talk to him a little, but he ended up being rude and had given me really short answers and bit my head off when I tried to talk to him. The day after that, I didn't even look at him. I was upset. He didn't like me and I was stuck beside this guy for the rest of the school year. Here I had this attractive, intelligent guy that wanted nothing to do with me. What had made things worse was I didn't even know why. I don't know what I'd done to make him so angry. The only thing I could think of that pissed him off so bad was it was because of who I was. Bella Swan: little Ms. Popular with her Police Chief dad.

Criteria number three: he has to be a gentleman. I could place a big freaking X on that line on my list of required qualities labeled Edward Cullen. He was a Class-A jerk! Mr. Badass couldn't talk to me because of my caste. Well, fuck him. So, I ignored him for as long as I could, which was really just one whole week that felt like an eternity, because I couldn't ignore the letter that had been left in my locker.

It had been one week to the day that I tried to get to know Edward. At the end of that day, I found a note in my locker. The second I opened it, my eyes locked onto the signature at the bottom. I quickly folded it back up and shoved it in my pocket. Alice and Rosalie were bound to find me any second since it was the end of the day and they were giving me a ride home and I didn't want them to see the note. I would have to wait until I got home to read it.

It was a simple note. He apologized for being so rude and he wanted to talk to me away from the school. He asked me to meet him in the park around four that day. I could totally do that. I lied to Alice and Rosalie and told them I was too busy with my homework to talk on the phone and I had planned to lie to my dad as well if I didn't make it home before he did.

I pulled my shoes and jacket back on and walked to the park as fast as I could without looking too suspicious. I looked around and didn't see him, so I took a seat on the swings and waited. I looked at my phone and saw that he was fifteen minutes late. I felt stupid and realized this was probably a trick, something him and his friends could laugh about later, but as I got up to leave, someone called my name.

I turned around and saw Edward standing there. He looked so good… I know you should know this by now, but it just had to be reiterated. He was frowning at the ground as I walked up to him. I simply told him, "I'm here."

He nodded before he looked up at me and asked, "Why?"

I was confused. "Um, because you asked me to come?"

"Why did you come?" he asked me as if he was talking to a child.

I frowned in anger. "I just told you: because you asked me to."

"What are you doing? What is this really? Is this some stupid intervention or something? Do you think you can change me or something?"

I frowned and shook my head slowly. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm sorry if my wanting to get to know you set off all your trust issues, but there wasn't anything behind it. You're my lab partner for the rest of the year. Pardon me for wanting to get to know you." Before he said anything else, I held up my hands. "Just… don't worry about it. I'm sorry for trying."

I turned to walk away, but I don't get more than a few steps from him before he called my name. "Bella, wait. I'm sorry…" He sighed dejectedly. "I… You have to understand how strange it is. I mean… I guess your dad doesn't talk about work while he's at home, but he's already arrested me twice since I've moved here. Why would his daughter want anything to do with me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Jesus, what did you do? Breaking and entering? Stay out past curfew? You didn't kill anyone. And no, he doesn't talk about work. At least not to me."

He scoffed. "I'm surprised. I figured he'd want his "precious angel" to stay away from me."

I couldn't help but laugh at him. He was acting like he was some monster. I laughed a little too hard and he got angry. "What the fuck are you laughing at?"

I straightened up and fanned my face for a second trying to calm down. "It's just you act like you're this horrible person because you've broken a few laws." I shook my head. "Look, my trying to get to know you was simply so we could enjoy Biology a little more. There's no motive behind it. Really. And besides, my father really doesn't tell me who I can and can't hang out with. Maybe it's because he trusts my judgment in people or because he thinks I know better… I don't know, but I pick who my friends are."

He scoffed at me. "That bothers me greatly. If you actually picked Alice and Rosalie to be your friends, then your judgment in people really sucks."

I frowned at him, angry with him again. "You know, you're pretty rude! You ask me here and do nothing but insult me!"

He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I just wanted to apologize for the other day. I'm sorry I bit your head off for trying to be nice."

"And right now? Are you sorry for being rude? You don't even know Alice and Rosalie."

He scoffed again. "I know enough about them."

"Really? And what is it you know, all knowing one?"

He narrowed his eyes at me as I crossed my arms over my chest. "I know they're two bitches. I have a class with both of them and they sit right behind me. All they do is gossip about people. They thought I couldn't hear them the other day, but I heard every word they said about me. If you want to be friends with them, then you don't need to be trying to make friends with me."

"Who said I wanted to be your friend to start with? Being cordial in class and being best buds are two different things. But I am sorry for my friends' behavior."

"You're apologizing for them?" he asked me with an astonished look.

"Yes. I, unlike some people, am not rude. At least they were trying to keep it to themselves. I doubt they were whispering it in your ear. It doesn't excuse them for doing it, though. Still, yes, I'm apologizing on their behalf."

He looked at me with a strange look, like he was trying to figure me out. I continued to give him my angry glare. Finally he just shook his head and shrugged. "Whatever. Look, I've done what I came to do."

"I'm not sure you have, but if you think you have, then… whatever."

I turned to walk away again, but he stopped me… again. "What do you mean by that? I've fucking apologized."

"You did, but like I said a minute ago, you've done nothing but insult me from the second I got here. If you're mad at my friends, take it up with them. Don't take it out on me."

I turned to walk away again and didn't stop when he called my name again. Suddenly, I was spun around and was facing him. He looked even angrier this time.

"I'm trying to apologize, if you'd let me."

I kept my frown on my face as I looked at him. "Well, get on with it. I'm cold and as soon as you're done I'm leaving before you say something else to piss me off."

The grip he had on my shoulders tightened slightly as the look on his face got angrier. He quickly told me. "I'm sorry for taking my anger out on you, Bella."

"Thank you," I told him quickly and pulled away from him. I left as fast as I could without looking like I was running.

He was so angry back then. He's calmed down a lot… well, towards me anyways… but I'm getting ahead of myself again.

The next day in class, Edward spoke to me very tentatively, as though he were watching what he said very carefully. He was nice and polite, even offering to go get the microscope and slides Mr. Banner wanted us to use. When class was over, he told me he'd see me tomorrow, gave me a nice little smile, and walked out. I was stunned. We'd sat there for a whole hour and hadn't fought. However, the next day wasn't as great.

I didn't know at the time but he and his father were constantly fighting. Dr. Cullen wants a different future for his son than what Edward wants. Dr. Cullen wants Edward to be a doctor just like him, but Edward wants to be musician. This caused… well, it still causes them to fight all the time. So when he came in that day, he was already angry.

He sat down, slamming his books on the lab table. I jumped at the noise, as did the rest of the people around us. I looked at him and asked if he was okay. His response? "It's none of your fucking business." It wasn't. He was right. He didn't know me well enough to tell me anything, but it still hurt and left tension between us for the rest of the hour. However, I was surprised to find a note in my locker at the end of the day with the words 'I'm sorry' scribbled in his handwriting. He didn't sign it this time.

About four months later, I realized I had developed feelings for Edward. I mean, sure he met my first two criteria regularly and the third criteria occasionally, but he also had some anger issues that he took out on me every so often. I wasn't so ready to fall in love with him, ya know? I mean, hello. Can you say abusive relationship? But for the weeks leading up to my realization, he was meeting all three of my criteria all the time. He had even held the door for me the few times we met each other at the entrance to the cafeteria.

So the realization actually happened in front of him. He was in a good mood when he came into Biology that day in December. All everyone else talked about was going to the Winter Formal. Alice and Rosalie were begging me to go dress shopping with them, but I didn't really want to go. I didn't want to go dateless, but I didn't want to go with anyone at school … except maybe one green-eyed someone … but that was impossible. One of the girls that sat in front of Edward and me was asking me who I was going with when he came in. I told her I hadn't made a decision yet to whether or not I was even going. As soon as Edward sat down, she asked him. He told her he wasn't going and then looked away from her, effectively stopping her from furthering the conversation.

However, that girl wasn't me… "Why aren't you going?"

He looked at me with a smirk. He took a deep breath and said, "Well, I don't think the girl I want to go with wants to go with me… so, I'm not going to bother with some stupid dance for no reason."

I felt a pang of jealousy. I mean, he was a guy. Of course he thought girls were hot. Why wouldn't he? It would be a crime if Edward didn't want to procreate one day. He had good genes. His babies would be beautiful, even if the girl was uglier than a mule.

But the point here wasn't about his beautiful babies… it was about that pang of jealousy I felt towards that girl… I didn't like her and I didn't even know her. I knew then that something was up with my feelings in regards to Edward. I quickly turned away from him and nodded. "Good enough reason."

I quickly changed the subject and soon class started. Having feelings for Edward wasn't a good thing. Dad might not talk about how many times he'd arrested Edward, but I heard about it around school. Dad would kill me if I brought him home as my boyfriend. He'd kill me and then Edward and bury us in the woods.

Later that day, I found something in my locker that I hadn't found in a long time: a note from Edward and regardless that my mind was screaming, _Don't even think about it. You remember what I said about the killing…_, my heart was saying something completely different, _But the criteria!_. The note simply said: "Meet me at the park at four." No signature or anything. So, instead of walking home, I walked straight to the park. This time I didn't have to wait for him since he was already there waiting on me.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked him as I walked over to him sitting on the swings.

He frowned up at me for a second. He opened his mouth, but closed it. He took a deep breath, opened his mouth again, and then closed it again.

I frowned. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. I… I don't know how to say this, but… did… you got… it just seemed …did you get jealous when I said there was a girl I wanted to ask to the dance?"

I looked at him astonished. How did he know I got jealous? I pulled my jacket around me tighter and shook my head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He frowned, but the corners of his mouth turned up into a smile. "Why are you getting defensive?"

I frowned harder. How was he doing that? "What are you talking about? I'm not getting defensive!"

He shot off the swing and stepped up in front of me. "You are. You are totally getting defensive."

"This is stupid. I'm leaving."

He stopped me before I could turn to leave. "I don't think so, Bella."

I looked up into his face and got angry. "You don't tell me what to do. Let go of me."

He frowned all of the sudden. Angry and sad. "So, what… you're ashamed to like me? Is that it? You can be my lab partner and talk to me during class, but as soon as we step outside of that room you're going to pretend like we don't click? _Fucking typical_." He spat. "I thought you were different, Bella."

He let go of my arm like it had burned him. I frowned at his back as he walked a few steps away from me. I was a little confused. He was taking everything wrong. "Wait a second… who said I was ashamed of anything?"

He spun around and appeared even angrier. "Why did you get defensive when I asked if you got jealous? It was fucking obvious that you got jealous. Your eyes even got a little watery. I'm not fucking blind and it's not like you hide your emotions all that well. You're like a goddamn open book sometimes."

"Well, so what if I got jealous and then defensive when you called me on it? I didn't want you to make fun of me or anything!"

"Make fun of you? Why in the hell would I make fun of you for liking me?"

"Because you're…" I said angrily, but lost my bravado as I finished with, "cool." I know… lame.

He frowned and then chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm cool?"

I shook my head and stomped my foot. "You know what I mean! You think you're this badass guy and wouldn't it be so funny if the Police Chief's daughter liked you. You'd tell all your friends and they'd laugh at me behind my back."

He looked at me confused for a second. "What? What the hell goes on in your head, Bella? Do you not see how into you I am? Have you not been paying attention these past few weeks?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but I had nothing to say. Of course I'd noticed these past few of weeks. They are why I liked him so damn much! … I ended up telling him that. He took a step forward and cupped my face in his hands. "Bella, I've been acting differently because I like you."

I frowned. I didn't really believe him completely. I was torn, so to speak. Part of me was jumping for joy, doing back flips, cartwheels, handstands, the splits, you name it and a part of me was doing it for joy. However, the other side of me was suspicious. Why would he like me? … So, I asked him.

"Why would you like me?"

He chuckled and shook his head, moving his hand down to the side of my neck while his thumb caressed my cheek. "What's not to like? You're smart, funny, beautiful. You know what you want out of life. It's refreshing. The girls that talk to me at school want me because they think I'm some bad boy. They don't have anything going for them, but their looks. Bella, you're the whole package." I blushed and he chuckled. "I'm serious."

I took a deep breath and stepped away from him. "That's really flattering, Edward. It makes me really happy that you said that, but… we can't be together. I know you know this."

I could see the anger in his eyes and the frown that was on his face made the anger just that much more pronounced. "What do you mean?"

"Edward, my dad would kill me if he found out we were together. You know he'd kill me and then you…" … and then bury us in the woods.

"And? He doesn't have to know."

I frowned. "Are you saying you want us to date in secret?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but took in a deep breath instead. He sighed and shook his head. "This isn't fair, Bella."

I nodded. "I know… I'm sorry."

I walked up to him and looked him in the eyes. If I couldn't have him completely, then I wanted to have a little piece of him to take with me. I'd never kissed a boy before… well, I'd never kissed a boy a spinning bottle didn't demand I kiss. I'd never done so willingly. I grabbed the sides of his jacket for balance as I stood up on my tiptoes. I pressed my lips to his and kept them there until I felt him react to me. We kissed for a short moment before I pulled away. I had tears in my eyes when I told him, "I'm sorry…"

That time as I left the park, I ran…

The rest of the week, which was really only three days, Edward skipped school. At first, I thought it was just Biology he'd skipped, but I found out that he hadn't been there at all… and then he wasn't there the rest of the week either. It was killing me slowly since I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know where he was and it's not like I could just ask someone about it. I listened for the gossip, but no one had anything to say. Even Alice and Rosalie noticed there was something going on with me. I played it off like I was sick, which got me out of going dress shopping for a dance that I wasn't going to be going to.

That Monday, as I sat in Biology, I prayed that Edward would be at school. I stared at the door with my fingers and toes crossed and waited for him to breeze in there like he usually did. I looked up at the clock and saw that he had less than a minute before Mr. Banner closed the door and started class. I held my breath when that time came and watched the teacher walk over to the door, moving the door-stop, and pushing it closed. Thankfully, right before it shut, someone pushed it open. I could've jumped for joy all over again when he walked in and apologized for being late, and hurried to his seat. I waited for him to get situated before I looked at him. I smiled and the blank expression he was wearing melted away as he smiled back at me.

My world was right again… and that scared me.

About halfway through class, Edward's knee bumped into mine and he didn't pull it away. We ended up playing footsie under the table until the bell rang. When it was time to leave, he just gave me a smile, a slight nod, and left. I wanted to stop him and ask him where he'd been and if he was okay, but I still didn't think I had a right to that information and I couldn't do it in the middle of the hallway anyway.

I went to my locker immediately after class and found a note from Edward. The note contained a number. He said it was his cell phone number and he wanted me to call or text him after school. He said he wanted to tell me about a 'plan'. After that, the rest of the day dragged by and I couldn't wait to call him.

As soon as I got home that afternoon, I got comfortable and called him.

"Hello?"

"Hey. This is Bella."

"Bella," he sighed my name.

"Where have you been?" I asked without thinking.

I was about to apologize when he told me, "I'll tell you about that later. Right now, I want to see you. Can you meet me at the park?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll be there in about ten minutes."

We told each other bye and I hurried to get dressed again. When I got there, I didn't see anyone, but there was a car parked in the parking lot. I looked over at it and saw Edward in the driver's seat. He flashed his lights and I walked over to him. I got in and frowned at him. "Whose car is this?"

"It's my mom's."

"Do you have your license?" He shook his head and smiled at me as he put it in gear and backed up. I quickly put on my seat belt. "What's going on?"

"I think I found a place where we could hang out without being seen. It's close to your house, but I couldn't go pick you up."

"How do you know where I live?"

He smiled at me. "I know a lot of things about you, Ms. Swan."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "Oh, really?" He just nodded. "Are you stalking me or something?"

He smirked, but kept his eyes on the road. "Would you be upset with me if I were?"

I thought about it for a moment and shook my head. "Not terribly. As long as you haven't been looking in my windows."

"Well, you're room is on the first floor…"

I gasped. "Edward!"

He laughed and shook his head. "It was only just the once."

"Seriously?" I asked with a whisper.

He nodded and winked at me before looking back at the road. Part of me felt a little violated… but that was a _small_ part of me. Regardless, I changed the subject. "So where have you been?"

He looked at me and then back at the road. "I left town. I went back to Seattle and stayed with some friends."

I frowned, confused. "Why did you leave?" I asked in almost a whisper.

"Well, there were a couple of reasons, but I don't want to talk about this now. We're almost there."

He pulled off down a dirt road and I knew exactly where we were, but I didn't know where he was taking me. Once the road dead ended, he parked the car and looked at me. "There's a small hike involved, I guess I should've said something…"

I smiled and shook my head. "It's okay. Just don't laugh at me when I fall down."

He smirked at me and then got out of the car, not agreeing to anything. I knew he was going to laugh at me. The hike was indeed small. We were only walking for about five minutes before we came to a meadow. It was the shape of a large semi-circle with a small river running against the flat side. It wasn't very pretty at that moment since all the grass was dead, but I could tell that it was most definitely going to be something to look at during the summer.

"I know it's nothing to look at now, but I'm pretty sure during the summer it'll be nicer."

I frowned at him. "What's it for? I don't understand."

"Well, this place is about fifty yards from your house. I plan on cutting out a path for you tomorrow. I wanted to show it to you today. I figured we could meet here and hang out." He stepped up to me and cupped my face like he did last week. "I really like you, Bella, and I really want a chance to get to know you better, even if that means meeting in secret."

I smiled at him like a loon; I knew I did because his smile was just as loony. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly, pressing my face against his chest. My little heart skipped a few beats when his arms wrapped around me, holding me just as tight. We stood there for a few minutes before he laid his head on top of mine. "Bella?"

I looked up at him and his eyes fixated on my lips. "Can I… can I kiss you?"

I bit my lip as I nodded at him. I had thought it was terribly romantic that he had _asked_ to kiss me. It was simply amazing. The kiss was slow and lasted a little longer than the first one did. He pulled away and kissed my forehead. We stood there for a second before he swore.

"Damn … There's a blanket in the back of the car I was going to bring for us to sit on. Hold on one second, let me run back and get it."

I smiled and nodded, still mindless from the kiss. He gave me a quick kiss and then ran back to the car. I looked around the meadow and smiled. This would be a nice little place for us to hang out. It would be a place all to ourselves. As soon as he came back with the blanket, he told me. "We can't stay long. My dad will be home soon and if he sees Mom is home, but her car is missing… well, there will be some problems."

He spread the blanket out and we sat down, scooting right next to each other. That wasn't close enough for him though, so he got up and sat behind me. I didn't complain. I liked him holding me and the extra body heat was nice too.

"What'll happen if the car is gone?"

He took a deep breath and told me everything about him and his father's issues. "Mom is more supportive of what I want, that's why she let me borrow the car. I have a better relationship with her, obviously."

"Did she know why you wanted the car?"

"Yes and no. She knew I was going to hang out with a girl, but she didn't know it was you."

"Are you ashamed of me?" I joked.

He chuckled and kissed my cheek. "No, I'm not, but this can't very well be a secret relationship if people know, now can it?"

I laughed and nodded. "Touché." I paused for a second. "And what about why you were gone? Will you tell me now?"

"You are a very persistent woman."

I nodded. "It's a curse. Get used to it."

He chuckled and nodded. "Duly noted." He took a deep breath. "I was pissed off. I was upset with my dad and I was upset because I couldn't be with you. I don't want to be here and I miss my friends back in Seattle. So, I stole Mom's car and left. I only came back when Dad and Mom found me."

"You mean you weren't going to come back?" I was a little hurt and I knew it showed in my voice.

His arms tightened around me. "I wasn't sure."

"But you didn't tell me bye?"

"Why would I tell you bye?"

I turned around a little and frowned at him. "What do you mean why? You told me you liked me."

"I do like you, Bella. I think you're pretty amazing. But I'd never tell you bye… not for good anyway."

Yes… Yes, my heart did melt as I'm sure yours did. I leaned back against him and let him hold me a little longer. The rest of our time was silent and was spent just enjoying each other. His hands held mine and caressed my fingers. His head rested on my shoulder, where his lips would brush against my ear occasionally. If I felt his arms get a little slack, I'd pull them tighter around me. But it didn't last long enough before we had to leave. He walked me back to my house through the woods, plotting the bath he planned to cut tomorrow. Before he let me go for the night, he cupped my face in his hands and said, "I want to make sure that you understand that you're my girlfriend now."

I nodded happily and smiled brightly. He kissed me sweetly in the dark shadows of the trees before making me go inside, where I replayed everything over and over in my head.

And that's my secret… I am Edward Cullen's girlfriend.

For months, Edward and I met in the meadow after school or late at night. I would get texts that asked me to meet him there and some that told me to meet him there. When his phone was taken away by his father, he'd leave me notes in my locker or on my bedroom window telling me to go there. We kissed, we cuddled, we talked about our friends and family, our futures, and we grew closer and closer. It didn't take us long before we had declared our love for one another and not long after that before we showed each other physically.

We kept our secret for almost a year. It was hard at times, but it was really simple sneaking out at night and meeting up in our meadow. The hard part was deterring our friends from hooking us up with other people. We had once agreed to dates our friends had wanted us to go on simply to keep up pretences, but we hadn't been able take it, knowing the other was out with someone else bothered us more than we could stand.

However, all good things come to an end and our time was apparently up…

Eric Yorkie. He was the thorn in Edward and mine's side. He was persistent and didn't understand that I didn't want to be his girlfriend. He felt that since I was single, then I should want to be with him. Because Lawd knows that every girl was dying to get with him… Pardon me while I roll my eyes… Anyways, his persistence was really starting to weigh on Edward's nerves. Edward was very possessive and he was not able to act on his possessive nature due to the terms of our relationship.

So, there we all were in the cafeteria. I was in line, loading my tray down with goodies. I knew Edward was watching me nonchalantly from his table with his friends. He told me he liked watching me. After the first time he met me, he watched me all the time, even took to watching my house sometimes… which lead to the one peeping tom incident. After that I always made sure to keep my curtains closed at all times. It's not that I minded Edward watching me. It sort of made me feel sexy and wanted, but if he's watching, who else was watching, ya know?

Anyways, so there I was in line getting food when Eric walks up to me. He slung his arm around my shoulders and said, "You and me, tonight. I know you're a closet nerd, so I'm thinking going and seeing _Ironman_. Then maybe a nice dinner at the Chinese restaurant across the street."

I shrugged his arm off my shoulder. "For the millionth and one time… No. I don't want to go out with you, Eric."

I noticed that Edward was suddenly behind Eric in line. I knew at that point that something bad was about to happen. I looked at Eric. "Please just stop, okay?"

He scoffed. "You know, Bella. You're a good looking girl, but you can't do better than this. So stop thinking you're so high and mighty and just go out with me," he told me as he grabbed my forearm.

Before I had the chance to tell him to let me go, Edward grabbed his shoulder, spun him around, and clocked him right in the nose. I gasped and covered my mouth with both hands as I looked up at Edward. He looked slightly vindicated, but still pissed off. That's when he looked up at me and realized what he'd done. The entire cafeteria was cheering and whispering. The looks on their faces told me everything I needed to know. They knew. They ALL knew.

Edward quickly tried to leave the cafeteria, but the teachers that were having lunch in there stopped him and took him, Eric, and I to the principal's office. Of course one of the first things they did was call my dad. I tried to deny my relationship with Edward, but my dad saw right through me. What boy would just punch another guy for grabbing a girl's arm if there wasn't something going on there?

Dad forbade me to see Edward. It was like some kind of modern day Romeo and Juliet or some shit like that. Edward even threw rocks at my window and Dad had to run him off. Edward was suspended from school for the rest of the year, which would fail him and cause him to not graduate since he would miss finals. This hadn't been his first offense at school. Edward had a temper and The Jocks loved fucking with him.

Even though he was no longer on campus, I still had received a note from him in my locker, begging me to meet him in the meadow. I just couldn't stay away from him any longer, I had to see him. It had been seven days since the incident in the cafeteria and I was already going through withdrawals. It wasn't that I hadn't wanted to see him; it was simply that I couldn't. My dad was watching me like a hawk and had taken all my privileges away. I had no phone, no email, no smoke signals… nothing.

So, that night I snuck out. I didn't care that my dad would probably check on me at some point in the night and I would not be there. I had to see Edward. He was way more important. I ran to the meadow, knowing he'd be there waiting on me. As soon as I broke past the trees, I saw him pacing. We had ran to each other, kissing heatedly for a few minutes before breaking the kiss.

"God, I've missed you so much," he told me breathlessly.

I hugged him tighter and told him, "I've missed you too. Oh, Edward, what are we going to do?"

His arms tightened around me and he whispered, "We runaway."

I gasped and pulled away from him far enough to look into his face. "What? Are you serious?"

"I've put my free time to good use. I've come up with a plan. A record label called me. They want me to send them a better quality demo to present to their boss man. I have access to a studio if I leave with some of my friends from Seattle. They are moving to LA and they want me to join them, but I can't leave you here."

"LA? That's a long ways away, Edward."

He nodded. "I know, but if we went together, then we could _really _be together." His arms tightened around me as he told me, "Bella, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He let go of me and kneeled down in front of me. "Marry me, Bella."

He pulled out a small diamond ring and I gasped again. "Oh my God, Edward! Are you serious?"

He nodded. "Absolutely, baby. Please say yes."

"Of course! Yes, I'll marry you."

He placed the ring on my finger and I tackled him to the ground. We laughed and kissed before he got serious again. "The trip, Bella. I need to know that you'll join me."

I nodded. I was ready to go right then.

Maybe had we left at that moment I would've went through with it… but again with the getting ahead of myself…

We agreed on a date to leave and then I had to go home. I knew Charlie would be checking on me like he'd been doing every night since Edward and I were outed.

When the day finally came, I was packed and ready to go. I'd secretly told Alice and Rosalie goodbye. They didn't know it was goodbye when I gave them extra long hugs and told them how much they meant to me. I was still surprised they were my friends after everything that had happened. I'd left my dad a note, telling him everything except where I was going. I didn't want him to worry, but I knew he would. I was just hoping the note would ease the pain a little.

Edward came and picked me up to go to the train station. He had stolen his mother's car again and a bunch of money from his dad. He was calm and completely at ease, as if this was normal. I was nervous. He could tell I was and held my hand, but it didn't help my nerves. I wasn't nervous about being with Edward. I'd already had it in my mind that we'd be together forever. He meant everything thing to me… still does and always will. I was nervous about this trip, about what kind of future we'd have in LA. I had a full scholarship to the school of my choice if I stayed and graduated in a couple of months. Wouldn't that be better for our future than the both of us being high school drop outs? Sure, Edward seemed to have some kind of record deal lined up, but what about me? What would I be able to contribute to our future?

We arrived at the train station and Edward locked the keys in the car and texted his mother. We bought the tickets and waited for the train. I didn't say a word. My mind was racing a million miles a second. It just didn't feel right. It wasn't what I wanted for us. I heard the train's whistle. It was almost here.

"Edward, I can't."

He frowned down at me. "What? What do you mean?"

"I mean, I can't do this. Not now. Not yet. I have so much going for me—for us, if I graduate. This scholarship could help our future. We can't put all our eggs in one basket, ya know? We can't rely on your record deal going through."

"So, what are you saying? You aren't coming with me?"

"Not yet. We're still together. I still want you for the rest of my life, but I can't let this opportunity pass _us_ by. Please understand. Please?" I begged.

He cupped my face in his hands and stared me in the eyes. "You'll come to me?"

I nodded frantically. "Of course! I love you. You're my everything, Edward. I want us to be happy and this will make us happier in the long run."

His grip on my face got a little tighter and he nodded his head. "Okay. I understand. I know what you're saying. I'll go ahead. I'll get us set up, but after graduation, you come to me."

I threw myself at him and hugged him as tightly as possible before I kissed him for the last time. "I will," I whisper against his lips.

The train pulled up then. Watching him get on that train without me was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do. I stood there until the train was completely out of sight and then I panicked slightly. He was gone and I didn't have a ride home. I found the nearest cop and asked him if he could help me 'unlock my car'. I drove to his house and met his mother, Esme, for the first time. She was very kind to me and drove me home. She told me she was happy Edward had found me, that he'd changed since we'd started seeing one another. He was still the trouble maker at school and in town, but she could see that he was happier with life. She hugged me and told me to send her love when I met up with him in LA.

For the next couple of months, my life was hell. Even though Edward was gone, Charlie didn't let me off restriction. He'd found the note before I'd gotten home and was angrier than when he found out that Edward and me were dating. But, I didn't let that stop me, as soon as the graduation ceremony was over, I left.

And that was about thirty-five hours ago.

At the moment, I'm waiting to get off a train here in LA. Apparently, there are a ton of people that want to go to LA… and here we are - all waiting for the door to open. Edward had called me a couple of hours ago and told me he'd meet me on the platform. It had been so long since I've seen him and I am so excited. I want to push all these old people out of my way and run off the train screaming his name at the top of my lungs, but I couldn't. My parents had raised me better than that.

When I finally make it off the train, my eyes scan the crowd. It doesn't take me long to find my tall fiancé with his crazy head of hair. We see one another and smile brightly. I run towards him and jump, throwing myself at him. Thankfully, he catches me and then he twirls me around.

"You don't know how great it is to see you, Bella!"

"Probably just as great as it is to see you!"

He sits me on my feet and gives me an amazing kiss. I've missed his kisses so much. When he breaks the kiss, I smile against his lips. "God, I've missed you."

He chuckles. "I've missed you too, baby. So much. Come on. Let's get out of here. I have a lot to show you."

I nod happily, letting him be the gentleman that he loves to be as he grabs as many of my bags as he can. The past couple of months have been pure torture, but who wouldn't put up with it if this was what was waiting for them when it was all said and done?

* * *

Leave me some love, if you got it. If not, thanks for reading! :)


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